RIDERS PACK BUSWAY FOR SECOND DAY.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer Riders flocked to the Metro Orange Line on Sunday like tourists to an amusement park amusement park, a commercially operated park offering various forms of entertainment, such as arcade games, carousels, roller coasters, and performers, as well as food, drink, and souvenirs. , taking advantage of a second day of free rides to eat at the other end of town, visit family or make a test run for the morning commute. Thousands of cheerful passengers boarded the packed, extra-long gray buses to the delight of Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials. ``Every single bus today has been standing-room only, every single bus yesterday standing-room only,'' said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky Zev Yaroslavsky (born December 21, 1948) is a Los Angeles County politician. He served on the Los Angeles City Council from 1975 until 1994, when he was elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. He was preceded in both offices by Edmund D. Edelman. , a member of the MTA (1) (Message Transfer Agent or Mail Transfer Agent) The store and forward part of a messaging system. See messaging system. (2) See M Technology Association. 1. (messaging) MTA - Message Transfer Agent. board. ``That is a vote of confidence. And it's also an indication of how the Valley has thirsted for public transit.'' After estimating Saturday that 30,000 riders used the system its first day, the MTA revised that to a more accurate count of about 44,500. The MTA expected similarly high numbers Sunday, but less ridership today, when the free rides end. ``I would be pleased if we got between 5,000 and 7,000,'' said Richard Hunt There have been a number of people named Richard Hunt:
Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. service sector. In planning the line, the MTA expected to get 22,000 daily riders by 2020 as the city's population increases. ``I think it will be a steady increase as riders figure out what it will do for them, because it's going to do different things for different people,'' Hunt said. John Cannon John Cannon may refer to:
Cannon was hopeful the line would help him. ``Less commute, less buses,'' he said. ``Probably cut out a good 30 to 45 minutes. I'll know it after tomorrow.'' The MTA had 500 workers in orange T-shirts helping riders navigate the new line. The MTA will have 50 to 60 workers doing the same thing through this week. The orange brigade had its work cut out for it, managing all the riders packing the buses and lining up at the stations. ``Come on, people, this is Sepulveda,'' MTA worker David Halford yelled to riders on a crowded bus as it rolled into his station, trying to coax some to get out from the crush. ``This is the best station on the line,'' he said. As of 3 p.m. Sunday, there were no accidents but a number of close calls. Shortly before 11:30 a.m., a car got onto the busway just before the Van Nuys Station and workers motioned for the motorist to get off the bus route. Earlier in the morning, at the intersection with Tyrone Avenue, a bicyclist coasted across the busway as a bus driver bearing down on him honked, causing him to get out of the way. Errol Segal, the owner of Active Recycling Center at 14300 Bessemer St. in Van Nuys, said he is concerned about how safe the line is. But after getting a letter from the city this month ordering him to keep the inside and outside of the center trash-free, he has other concerns. Segal gave a speech to more than a dozen homeless people Sunday morning Sunday Morning may refer to:
``You people really deserve a medal from the mayor for (collecting recyclables), but not for littering,'' he said. Homeless man Mark Siebert, 54, said there were too many people on the Orange Line when he went to have a look at it. ``When it's a free ride, everyone wants something for free,'' he said. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com SOUVENIR POSTERS A poster commemorating the Oct. 29 debut of the Metro Orange Line is available for a limited time at several San Fernando Valley businesses and Washington Mutual “WaMu” redirects here. For the Washington, DC radio station, see WAMU. Washington Mutual (or WaMu; NYSE: WM) is the United States' largest savings and loan association. branches. The locations include the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley, 5121 Van Nuys Blvd., Suite 200, Sherman Oaks; Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga concierge center, 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park; and Sherman Oaks Galleria Sherman Oaks Galleria is a shopping mall and business center located in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California at the corner of Ventura and Sepulveda Boulevards in the San Fernando Valley. Locals colloquially refer to the mall simply as "the Galleria. , 15301 Ventura Blvd. Posters also are available at Best Western/Canoga Park Bowl, 20122 Vanowen St.; Matterhorn Restaurant, 13726 Oxnard St., Valley Glen; West Hills Hospital and Medical Center, 7300 Medical Center Drive; and Tallent & Associates, 20205 Saticoy St., Winnetka. In addition, there are posters at Washington Mutual branches in Encino, North Hollywood, Panorama City, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and Van Nuys. Outside the Valley, posters are available at Casa Loma Casa Loma (Spanish for House on the Hill) is the former home of financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt and a major tourist attraction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. History Sir Henry commissioned Canadian architect. E.J. , 1311 Cesar Chavez Drive, Oxnard; Casa Bonita/Casa Dulce, 1352 Inca Drive, Oxnard; and Desert Rose, 2818 Crocus Place, Palmdale. CAPTION(S): 2 boxes, map Box: (1) Box/Map METRO ORANGE LINE ROUTE AND BUS STATIONS Warren Huskey/Staff Artist (2) Box SOUVENIR POSTERS (see text) |
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